


With You I’m Always Home

by not_a_functioning_human_being



Series: Sanders Sides One Shots [8]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Also something Remus does in the beginning can be interpreted as a suicide attempt, Aromantic Asexual Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Are Twins, Incest, Just stay safe guys, M/M, Multi, Or At Least I Tried, Roman Angst, Roman's also afraid of the water, TW: a character has a panic attack, Theres mentions of a past unsympathetic/evil Janus, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders, it's not supposed to be, lowkey unsympathetic Logan and Virgil, oh I forgot to add that Roman almost drowns at the beginning, these tags are a mess i'm sorry, up for interpretation though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:15:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25006801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/not_a_functioning_human_being/pseuds/not_a_functioning_human_being
Summary: After a near death experience on a dock, Roman has been afraid of the water. Ever since that day, Thomas's mind was split into a dark and light side and Roman never saw his brother again. That is until Janus notices him staring at Remus's side of the Imagination and offers him a way across the barrier.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman Sanders/Dark Creativity | Remus Sanders/Deceit | Janus Sanders, Logic | Logan Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Series: Sanders Sides One Shots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1809271
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	With You I’m Always Home

**Author's Note:**

> So just a quick note, this takes place in an alternate timeline after Selfishness VS Selflessness part 1 and before Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts. I hope you enjoy, I worked really hard on this one UwU.

Thomas was seven years old when his creativity split. Ever since that day they two were almost inseparable.

On a particularly bright and sunny day, the two brothers were playfully fighting on a long wooden dock. Roman giggled as his long katana deflected Remus's constant attacks with his morning star.

"Looks like someone's cornered~," Remus said in a sing-songy voice as Roman backed up into the edge of the dock. A malicious laugh escaped the boy's lips as Roman dogged and parried the constant barrage of attacks until he managed to push Remus to the ground.

"Huzzah! I win!" Roman says, kicking the mace out of Remus's hand and placing his foot on his chest.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" Remus said, smirking maliciously.

Roman looked up to see giant bloodied knives flying towards him. "Ha! It's gonna take a lot more than that to defeat me, brother!" Roman shouted triumphantly as he easily dodged them.

Remus just giggled, "You know, you've never been the observant one darling.~"

Roman looked up just in time for a giant flying d*ck to hit him in the face and push him into the ocean below.

Remus laughed maniacally, picking up his morning star and skipping to the edge where Roman fell. "You should have seen your face!" Remus looked down at the water below, only to see Roman flailing his arms, desperately trying to keep afloat. "Oh f*ck Roman!" he stuck his morning star out for the other to hold onto.

"R..Remus! Help!" Roman called out, trying to grab hold of the weapon. "I.I can't reach!" Water filled Roman's lungs as he desperately gasped for breath. Salty waves washed over his head as he slowly started to lose consciousness.

"Roman no! Please! You can't leave me, you promised to stay!" Remus screamed and cried as he watched his brother silently drown. Thoughts swirled in his head as he desperately tried to reach out for his brother from the safety of the dock. They wormed their way into his brain, whispering "Isn't this what you wanted? People always liked Roman better... now they'll finally appreciate you. Maybe you should hit him on the head just to make sure he's dead."

Remus covered his ears. "No! Stop! Please!" Remus dropped the morning star and covered his ears. Still, the thoughts persisted. "You're wrong! I..I was never jealous! Roman is my brother we need each other! Thomas needs us both... I... I didn't mean for this to happen... I forgot neither of us could swim!" He tried to rationalize with the voices but they kept getting louder and louder until Remus just couldn't take it anymore.

And then, amidst the loud shoutings, a tiny whisper asked, "Why don't you just jump in after him?"

And so he did.

~/0/~

Roman woke up on the couch in the living room of the mind palace, coughing and sputtering for breath. His mind was hazy and his head was pounding. The memory of the events on the dock was clouded and foggy, all he could remember was falling off the dock. The memories of the salty water filling his mouth and seeping into his lungs sent shivers down his spine. He sat up, his eyes looking around the room. He wanted his brother.

Instead, he got Patton.

"Oh! Hey, there kiddo glad to see that you're awake, how're ya feelin?" The bubbly father figure smiled as he sat next to Roman and handed him a cup of hot cocoa.

"Where's Remus?" Roman immediately asked, taking a sip of the warm beverage.

Patton's face grew uncharacteristically grim. He took a deep breath and looked at Roman before saying, "He's gone."

Roman felt his heart shatter. Remus was gone? Why? They were supposed to be together forever... Remus couldn't leave. Roman shook his head. "No... no Remus didn't leave. He couldn't have. Not without me." No, Remus couldn't be truly gone. They needed each other. Remus was his other half... quite literally actually.

Patton sighed, softly hugging him as Roman kept shaking his head, tears streaming down his face. "Roman... I know you two were close but Remus is... unstable."

"W...What? What do you mean Patton? Remus is the best person ever! Even if he does have bad thoughts sometimes, he'll never do anything to hurt anyone."

Patton sighed, "I guess you don't remember what happened earlier, Ro." He rubbed circles into Roman's back, humming slightly. "Remus tried to kill you, Roman. He's the one that pushed you into the water. He pretended to love you to gain your trust and the moment your back was turned, he pushed you in and held you down."

Roman thought for a minute "No... No that can't be right. Remus would never do that. We're brothers, we need each other." He looked up at Patton with big, watering eyes, looking for answers.

The other just smiled and held Roman closer. "He manipulated you, Roman. Jealousy and hate can do that to a person."

"Remus was... jealous of me?"

Patton nodded "Of course Roman, he knew Thomas liked you better. He thought that if he got rid of you he'll be the sole creativity and that Thomas will finally appreciate him. Good thing he didn't know that there's only one way to kill a side. Don't worry kiddo, you won't have to deal with him anymore. Or Anxiety or Deceit."

"H...He didn't even say goodbye..." Roman said, staring off into the distance. He felt numb, his brother had lied. He didn't love him. All those times they had played together, comforted each other, had been a lie. He was just manipulating him... biding his time. No, he couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. Remus would never do that to him, no matter how much he hated him, they loved each other. They were supposed to be together forever.

Patton pat his back, "I know how close you two were but this really is for the best. It's for the good of Thomas and the good of the rest of us. Don't worry Logan and I will be your new family. Things'll get better. Pretty soon you'll forget all about him"

Roman shook his head and continued sobbing until he slowly fell asleep in Patton's comforting arms. He still couldn't believe Remus had betrayed him and then left him. He'd rather be with Anxiety and Deceit then him. After all, they had been through together.

That night, Roman's dreams consisted of nothing but the feeling of being submerged underwater, helplessly flailing his arms. Unable to gasp for breath without the feeling of water seep into his lungs. Unable to call for help because of his throat closing up in his body's attempt to stop the water from filling his lungs even more.If one thing was for certain, ever since that day, Roman had been petrified of even the mere thought of a large body of water.

~/0/~

Roman sat at the table in the mind palace cafe, awkwardly sipping a caramel frappuccino with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Patton had decided to set him up on a blind date again, and he had a feeling he knew who it was.

"Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have let Patton talk me into this."

Roman looked up to see a certain purple-haired emo take the seat across from him, a black coffee in hand.

"Doesn't coffee increase your anxiety?" Roman asked, wanting to get this over with. Ever since Patton and Logan started dating, the moral side had been trying to set him up with Virgil despite the two practically hating each other.

"Yeah, but I'm gonna need it if I have to put up with a guy who looks like a unicorn barfed on him all afternoon.

Roman scoffed as he looked down at the sparkly rainbow dress he had chosen to wear for the occasion. "Says the one who is the living embodiment of a Tim Burton movie."

Virgil just rolled his eyes and took another sip of his coffee. "Whatever Princy." He said as he took out his phone and scrolled through Tumblr, mainly to avoid eye contact with a certain prince.

Roman fiddled with his straw and sighed. He couldn't take any more of this. "Hey wanna like actually do something?"

Virgil looked up and raised his eyebrow "Like what? I'm not participating in another one of your 'daring quests.' Last time, you almost got us killed."

"Oh please, you wouldn't have died per se..." Roman rolled his eyes.

"We were almost impaled by a stampede of flying narwhals with rocket launchers because you were too scared to take the boat over the lake. Patton broke his leg!"

Roman stiffened at the mention of the lake, before shaking his head. "Hey, that's what the fountain of fruition is for."

"The fountain isn't even reliable! It changes location every five minutes!"

"Well, it's called the fountain of fruition for a reason Marilyn Morose."

"Do you even know what the word fruition means?"

"Well... Not exactly...but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with fruit. I mean why else would the fountain be made out of fruit."

Virgil facepalmed. "Whatever. I didn't even want to be here in the first place. I'm gonna go and explain to Patton for the fifth time that this isn't going to happen." And with that, Virgil sunk out, leaving Roman alone with his frape.

Roman sighed and sunk down too, popping up in the Imagination. Ever since the others were exiled, Remus' side of the Imagination was locked away with an impenetrable barrier. Well... almost impenetrable. How Virgil managed to find a weak spot and cross over was something Roman couldn't seem to figure out. It's not like Virgil would tell him if he asked. For some reason, that emo nightmare could barely stand being in the same room as him, much less supply him with the only way to see his brother again. His fingers grazed the barrier, wincing when a jolt of electricity shot through him. Despite his best effort, Roman could never find it in himself to hate his brother. No matter how much Patton insisted that it would be the only way to get over his fear of the water.

Roman shook his head, Patton didn't know what he was talking about. He wasn't even sure Patton knew exactly what happened the day he almost drowned. It was all a blur, but he was almost certain Remus would never hurt him on purpose. He just knew it.

"You certainly /haven't/ been ssstaring at this ssside for a while Roman. If you're not careful one may think you /weren't/ thinking about crossing over~"

Roman's eyes narrowed as he turned towards the source of the voice. "Deceit. What do you want?" The prince crossed his arms and bit his lip as his heart pounded in his chest. Deceit was another side who somehow found a way across the barrier, but unlike Virgil, he decided to spend the majority of his time on the dark side.

Deceit smirked as his eyes looked Roman up and down, drinking in every inch of his figure. Just the mere thought of the snake checking him out made Roman's heart flutter. Maybe it was the compliments that, no matter how much he tried to convince himself they were just empty flattery, never failed at making the heat rise to his cheeks. Maybe it was the fact that he seemed to be the only one who at the very least listened to him and took his side in arguments. Whatever it was, Roman was confident that he had fallen hard for the snake.

"I could ask you the same thing darling~ What's a prince like you doing spending so much time gazing /listlessly/ at his brother's domain?"

Roman bit his lip and looked down, almost ashamed that the other had so easily caught him. What would Patton say? Nothing good that's for sure. He could practically hear Patton lecturing him in his mind about the importance of moving on after cutting toxic people out of his life. A good lesson, sure, but Remus was never toxic. Or at least, he had never seemed toxic to Roman.

"And why the long face Princy? Why look so /happy/ when I /can't/ give you the very thing you /least/ desire." The snake stuck a gloved hand through the barrier, offering it to a wide-eyed Roman.

"W..What? How? I thought..."

"Patton may /not/ have had the idea of /not/ hiding us away from Thomas, but I'm the one who ultimately /doesn't/ have the power to hide certain sides from him. /Do/ worry though, the barrier /definitely/ prohibits anyone who enters access to Thomas. All it does is keep Patton's 'perfect mind palace' the 'best it can be for Thomas' sake'." He rolled his eyes and smiled, shaking his head slightly. "I'm sure your brother would absolutely /hate/ it if you visited."

Roman bit his lip and reached out his hand, hesitating right before grabbing it. This was Deceit, the master of lies and deception. What if he was just tricking him, luring him in with flattery and compliments only to trap him on the other side? But on the other hand, it had been twenty-three years since he'd last seen his brother. And here was a chance to see him again. A chance to finally fill the hole in his heart that had formed through his brother's absence. He took the other's hand, knowing the reward far outweighed the potential consequences.

Deceit just smiled as he pulled Roman through the barrier. A tingling feeling washing over him as he walked through to Remus' side.

The 'dark side' of the Imagination was a lot brighter than he had thought it would be. Sure, dark clouds loomed overhead, but neon green lightning constantly flashed and flickered. Loud rumbles of thunder (that sounded more like moans than anything) could be heard from all sides and the ground practically consisted of blood, guts, organs, and entrails. How the tall black trees managed to grow in such mush was beyond his knowledge, but this was the Imagination. Anything was possible.

"Remus /knows/ that you're coming to see him so /don't/ let me talk to him before you walk in," Deceit said as the two started to approach a castle in the shape of an erection that reached up to the sky. Roman's smile grew wider as they approached. He squeezed the other's hand and practically squealed in glee. He was finally going to see his brother again.

As the two started to approach the giant moat around the castle, Deceit smiled. Roman was absolutely adorable when he was excited, yet another thing he and his brother had in common. Roman practically radiated energy as they drew closer. That's why he found it rather odd as he felt as that energy diminished as the two got to the screaming bridge.

"Is everything alright Roman?" he asked, concerned. He looked over at Roman who was stiff with fear. He held onto the snake's hand as tightly as he could, staring at the sloshing water below them.

Roman shakes his head, continuously staring at the water. He felt his throat close up and legs turn to gelatin. The memories that faithful day flashed through his head until it was all he could see, all he could think about. He fainted right into Deceit's outstretched arms.

~/0/~

Remus prided himself on being a man of chaos. An unpredictable force to be reckoned with. But when his boyfriend appeared in his room holding the unconscious body of his brother that he hadn't seen in over twenty years, he, just for a moment, thought that sometimes some level of predictability may be beneficial in certain situations.

At first, he had almost strangled Janus, pushing him to the floor and sitting on him, holding a knife to his neck. He didn't care that Roman was now lying on the floor, he didn't care that many of his favorite sexual fantasies started this way, he wanted answers. And besides, it's not like Remus was actually going to kill him. He loved him too much to do that. After Virgil left them, the two latched onto each other, afraid of being alone if the other ever decided to leave. Throughout the years, they had rarely left each other's side. Without Janus, Remus didn't know what he'd do. But now was not the time to reminisce, nor was it the time to follow in the footsteps of his role model, Jeffery Dahmer, and eat his boyfriend's freshly murdered corpse. (Even though that did sound very appealing). He needed answers.

"What did you do to him? And why is he here?" He asked, pressing the knife further into Janus's neck.

The other just rolled his eyes. "He wanted to see you Remus, and I know how much you miss him."

Remus shook his head. "N...No he can't be here. Especially not when he's asleep. You know exactly the type of nightmares my side of the Imagination can cause. Why did you bring him here in the first place?"

"I brought him because he wanted to see you. I already told you. Besides, I /brought/ him here unconscious. He /didn't/ faint at the moat. I don't even know why. All he did was look at the water."

Remus bit his lip. Of course. Even when he isn't physically there, he still finds some way to hurt him. Maybe Patton was right all along. Maybe he is just a toxic parasite.

"Ugh, my head. W...Where am I?" The sound of his brother waking up pulled Remus out of his thoughts. He watched as the other looked around with those same big, brown, curious eyes that he had when they were kids. A lot had changed since the two had last seen each other. Gone was the adorable baby prince that he had played with when they were little, and in his place was one of the most strong and handsome men Remus had ever seen. Remus smiled and continued to check Roman out as his brother rubbed his eyes and slowly realized where he was.

The moment Roman's eyes laid on his brother he felt those feelings he had for him as a kid come rushing back to the forefront, like a tsunami. Tears welled up in his eyes as he reached out to him, almost afraid to touch him in case he might not be real. Afraid that this was just another one of Deceit's lies.

Remus smiled and tackled Roman to the ground, pinning him to the floor in a giant hug. The sheer and absolute joy of seeing his brother again overrode all of his previous fears of hurting him. Oh, how he had longed for this day to arrive. The day he would finally get to see his brother again.

"Remus... I missed you so much." Roman mumbled, holding him closer. He then pulled away so he could get a better view of Remus, drinking in every inch of him. He almost forgot what Remus looked like. It didn't help that they both seemed to have changed so much over the years. Roman twirled Remus's mustache teasingly, a smirk on his face. "When'd you grow this?"

Remus giggled and smirked, giving him a sultry look, "You like it sugar?~"

Roman laughed and rolled his eyes, "God you're even worse than before." He lightly pushes him, the two wrestling on the floor just like when they were kids.

Deceit smiled and slinked away, letting the two brothers have their moment. And the two adorable idiots didn't even notice his absence.

~/0/~

Roman spent three days in Remus' castle. And it ended up being the best three days he's had in a long time. Even with the looming thought of the moat around them, his brother never failed at being able to distract him. Whether it be an epic duel at the top of the castle tower, (high enough for Roman to not be able to see the moat anymore), or a comforting movie night filled with cuddles and more snacks than the two were able to eat at once, (partially because Remus kept getting his deodorant on the popcorn), the two spent every single second together. The more time the two spent together, the more they realized how much they truly missed each other. They were two halves of a whole, the yin to the other's yang. They needed each other.

But three days ended up being three days to many.

Patton paced back and forth in the living room. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. Thomas' thoughts were all skewered, he could tell when he pitched ideas for videos. They were all dark with mature and grim themes, not the strictly family-friendly videos they always were. Sure, they still had some elements of the cute and light-hearted comedy people expected from him, but a deeper look into his videos showed more than enough evidence that there was something seriously wrong with his creativity. Normally, Patton would talk to Roman directly, but for some reason, Roman was nowhere to be found.

Under any other circumstance, Patton wouldn't be worried. Roman was known for spending weeks or even months in the Imagination on daring quests, but this was different. Thomas never had creativity problems when Roman went on these expositions. So why was this time so different?

"Is everything alright Patton? If you continue to ambulate back and forth you may wear a hole through the floor."

Patton looked at Logan and sighed, walking over to Logan and holding his hands. "I'm just worried about Roman. Ever since he and Virgil failed to realize their feelings for each other I haven't seen him and Thomas has been having creativity problems ever since."

"Hmmm, that does seem like a problem. Thomas' main source of income comes from his videos, a mainly creative venture. However, Thomas seems perfectly content with teaching more mature lessons through his videos, and Thomas himself doesn't seem to think there is a problem. You seem to be the only one that is worried. Furthermore, though I am not an expert on emotions, I do not believe that Roman and Virgil are in love with each other. We are in love but we do not act the way Roman and Virgil do towards each other."

"Yes but Logie, love comes in all shapes and forms. People can show their love in many different ways and I can tell just by the way they look at each other." He kisses his cheek. "I just want my two kiddos to be happy. Is that so wrong?"

"Well, I suppose so."

Patton thinks, "I know! We should go out on an expedition to find Roman! Then we can make sure he's ok and ask what's wrong with Thomas!"

"I do not believe there is anything wrong with Roman, perhaps his brother is-"

"I stifled his influence years ago," Patton said quickly, cutting Logan off. "Besides, I talked to Deceit last time he was here. I'm pretty sure I convinced him Thomas isn't ready to learn about Remus... Unless he let Remus through the barrier and he kidnapped Roman so he could take his spot."

"Patton, take a deep breath. You're starting to sound like Virgil, I can assure you Roman is fine."

"Can we at least go to the Imagination to check on him... Please?~" Patton looked up at Logan with big, watery puppy dog eyes.

Logan sighed, he couldn't resist it when Patton used puppy dog eyes on him. "Fine."

Patton smiled, his eyes sparkling with pure joy. Just the sight of him so happy made Logan's heart melt. "Yayy!! I'll go get Virgie!" Patton kissed him, and sank down, leaving Logan alone in the room. He sighed, cursing his stupid feelings. They always got in the way of absolutely everything.

~/0/~

Meanwhile, in the dark sky of Remus' kingdom, Roman, Remus, and Deceit were flying on a magic carpet of Roman's creation, fighting a giant draconequus of Remus's. The mighty beast roared and breathed fire at them, quickly blocked by Remus's shield of rotting flesh.

"On three!" Roman shouted, gripping his katana tightly. Deceit nodded as a circle of glowing yellow knives appeared behind him, pointing at the creature. Remus giggled and held up his morning star, ready to strike.

"Ok, ready? One, two... Three!" Roman stabbed the beast in the spleen as Remus hit it in the head and Deceit stabbed him with a barrage of knives. The beast cried out in anguish as it flew above them and burst into a hundred seething, writhing maggots.

"Ewww!" Roman screeched as he frantically flicked away the maggots. "Omg ew ew eeeew they're even in my hair."

"I'm afraid I have to /disagree/ with Prince Prissy. They're nesting in my hat." Deceit summoned a few baby Green Snakes that happily ate the maggots up.

Remus shrugged and stuffed a few in his mouth, the worm-like creatures squirming in and between his teeth.

"Well I don't know about you two but I for one am in definite need of a shower. I mean just look at me." He gestured to all the dirt, mud, and blood that was stuck on him from the day's adventure. "I look horrid."

"I dunno bro I'd say all that dirt and blood makes you look hot.~ You know, I'm always one for dirty, sweaty s*x if you know what I mean?~" He wriggled his eyebrows.

Roman's face grew hot at the suggestion. Not the dirt and blood part, but the thoughts of doing those things with his brother... He shook his head. Remus's side's influence must've been stronger than he thought.

"You're /definitely/ going to find a fresh water source here handsome~" Deceit winked at Roman as he pet the small snakes he summoned, making Roman's face flush darker."I /don't/ cross over to your side and bathe in a lake or something. Especially after what Remus did to the showers." He playfully glared at Remus, who just shrugged in response.

Roman stiffened. Was that really his only option? What if he drowns again? He can't swim. What no one was able to save him? What if that was their plan? To lure him in with cuddles and compliments only to push him in when he had his guard down. No, Remus and Deceit wouldn't do that... Would they?

"Roman? Helooooo Earth to Rooomaan!!" Remus frantically waved his hand in front of his face. He still had yet to tell Janus why Roman is afraid of the water... or even that he was in general. It did make sense, after all, Roman did almost drown. He still remembered the conversation Patton had with him after he and Logan pulled the two out of the water. Well, conversation was putting it lightly. Patton had lectured him to no end, making it perfectly clear that he was a menace, a trouble maker, a toxic influence on Roman, that it was his fault that Roman had almost drowned and that because of him, Roman would be traumatized for the rest of his life. He didn't even give him a chance to say goodbye or even apologize before he was sent over to the dark side with Janus and Virgil and the barrier was put into place.

"Huh?" The sound of Roman's voice broke Remus out of his thoughts.

"You /weren't/ spacing out." Deceit said, raising an eyebrow. "Was it something I said?"

Roman shook his head "No I was just thinking. I... I'm just going to make a shower. I have the same powers over here as I have in my side of the Imagination." He steers the carpet back to the castle.

~/0/~

"So what's wrong with Roman?" Janus asked as he sat on Remus's couch. He rolled his eyes as a loud farting sound erupted out from under him.

Remus giggled and flopped down onto the couch. He leaned his head on the other's shoulders and closed his eyes. "He's afraid of the water... at least that's what I think? When we were younger we were fighting on a dock and I pushed him off, forgetting we didn't know how to swim." Remus looked down and fiddled with the frilly end of his outfit. I love my brother, I'm just... afraid of hurting him again."

"Remus, you guys were kids. You didn't know any better. Besides I can tell you two really care for each other." he smiled and kissed the top of his head.

Now that he thought about it... he really did love his brother and not in the way he always thought he did. It was a different kind of love, the kind he felt towards Janus. But his feelings for Janus didn't change either, he still loved him, just as much as he loved Roman. It was all strange and different to Remus, but he kind of liked it.

"I think I might be in love with my brother." Remus blurted out and looked up at Janus, wincing as he expected Janus to yell at him or be mad in general. Maybe he'll realize just how sick Remus truly is and want to break up with him... Yeah, in hindsight maybe he really shouldn't have told him.

"Well, I'd be more surprised if you weren't in love with him. Your brother's hot."

"Record scratch?" Remus sputtered out, his eyes widening as he looked up at Janus.

Janus chuckled and softly rustled Remus's hair. "Don't worry Re. I'm in love with your brother too. I think I have been for a long time now."

Remus smiled and let out a sigh of relief. Janus wasn't mad at him... in fact, it was even better than what he had hoped. He felt the same way. "Why do you have to be so perfect" Remus mumbled, looking up at his boyfriend with sparkling eyes.

"I could say the same thing about you." 

Remus kissed him, climbing on top of Janus and cupping his cheeks as Janus's arms wrapped around his waist. Remus pulled him closer, smiling, as he felt a certain snake tongue slither into his mouth.

"Hellooo~ Guess who's back plebs!" Roman walked into the room wearing a newly created prince costume when he saw the two making out on the couch. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. Of course, he should have known something was going to happen that will ruin it. These past few days had been perfect, a little too perfect. God, why did he even think he had a chance.

Roman bolted out of the room, stopping for no one, not even when he heard Remus and Deceit call after him. He didn't even bat an eye as he ran over the bridge of the moat. All he could think about was the image of his brother and his crush making out on the couch, their hands all over each other. He didn't even know why it bothered him so much. Deceit and his brother have been living together since the split, of course, they were dating. Why did he think he even stood a chance.

The electric shock of the barrier prevented him from running further. Roman glanced up at the barrier, feeling numb. He shouldn't have come here. All it did was build him up, taunting him with three perfect days with the two people he loved the most for what? So he could plummet from a greater height? So that when he hits the ground it'll be that much harder to get back up again?

He rammed his body into the barrier again and again. It was a lie. It had all been a lie. Just a sick prank the two of them played on him, leading him on and toying with his feelings. Wait... they? He thought he just liked Deceit. He was so confused, he couldn't love his brother... not like that anyways. He was his brother, it...it would be wrong. Plus he liked Deceit. He couldn't like two people at once... even he wouldn't be that selfish.

"Logan, Virgil, Look! I told you he was trapped!" Roman looked up to see Patton and the others running towards him. "Roman don't worry I can get you out of there."

"Roman! Wait! Fuck why are you so fast?!" Roman glanced behind him at the sound of his brother's voice desperately calling out to him. "Roman wait before you leave, let us explain." Remus and Janus were desperately running towards him, yelling at him to wait. Roman shook his head and turned his head back towards Patton and the others. He was done with their lies.

Patton's eyes narrowed at the two dark sides. "What did you do to Roman?"

"I /didn't/ give him what he wanted, Patton. You /haven't/ kept him and his brother apart for years, they /don't/ deserve to at least see each other."

"That's because Remus was a bad influence!" Patton was shouting now, Logan's arms wrapped around him, holding him back. The barrier was torn down now, the two sides merging as one. He let out a sigh. Thomas was undoubtedly experiencing the side effects of this event. Especially with all of his sides in such turmoil.

"We /weren't/ kids Patton! We've all grown up! All except for you."

"Deceit I thought we agreed that this was what's best for Thomas."

"/Yes!/ That's what /I/ wanted Patton! Admit it, you /wanted/ Virgil there to begin with he had to prove himsssself!!" More snake scales popped up all over his face, his body elongating. He could barely keep it together, his ability to tell the truth becoming less and less effective. "And then you." He pointed at Virgil. "You call me a liar and a snake, you left us!"

"Because you and Remus were atoxic influence on my life! I see that now. Patton and the others showed me what a real healthy relationship is like. All you did was manipulate me into crossing the barrier for what? So that you can test the waters and see where you stand? So that I could convince Patton to take down the barrier? You never cared about me. All you cared about was crossing over and getting direct access to Thomas."

"Come now Virgil you /definitely/ meant every word of that. It's /not/ as if Patton was the one to kick us out. Oh, wait he /didn't/. And /don't/ look at you now. You're just as /good/ as him. Thomas /doesn't/ need me over there. You /always/ listen to me. And now Thomas /hasn't/ lost the opportunity to fulfill his dreams because of you."

Remus watched as the fight carried on, torn between calming down his boyfriend and comforting his brother. He chose the latter, wrapping his arms around Roman. He's been wanting to see Janus rip Patton and Virgil to shreds for a while now, maybe Logan too. He wanted to enjoy this moment.

Roman pushed Remus away. "Don't you want to be with your boyfriend? Logan's only so strong. No one insults Virgil in front of Patton and gets away with it. Deceit's gonna need some backup. I've only seen Patton's face that green once or twice and the last time he transformed was a disaster for everyone involved."

"Ehh he'll be fine. We've been planning on fighting them ever since Virgil left. Y-"

"Oh, so this was all a part of you guys' elaborate scheme huh? Flirt with me and lead me on when you know about my feelings so that I can make an even greater fool of myself? Hold me close and manipulate me for what? For this sick joke? So you two can get your petty revenge on Patton? Because I'm done playing games, Remus. I know we've only really been together for three days but they were the happiest days of my entire life. I... I think I fell in love with you Remus. A...and I know it's stupid and dumb and wrong because you're my brother and you're probably going to make some stupid joke and make fun of me and never let me live it down but it's true. And I thought I just was in love with Deceit but... but I think I'm in love with you both? And I don't even know if that's possible I just... I just don't know." Roman sank to the floor and curled up into a ball, burying his face in his hands.

"Well if it makes you feel better Roman, I'm in love with you too. And so is J- I mean Dee. We were talking about it while you were in the shower ya butthead." He rustled Roman's hair and kissed the top of his head. "We were gonna tell you but you just had to run off like that."

Roman smiled a bit, "Well, to be fair, you and Deceit were kinda just making out on the couch, not telling me anything. Though I don't know why I'd expect anything more from you. If you're still as horny as you used to be. I'm surprised that was the first time I'd seen you kiss. Or at the very least I'm surprised I never heard sadistic moans of pain as one of you whip the other in what I imagine to be the torture s*x dungeon in your basement."

Remus laughed the insane, sociopathic laugh that Roman had grown to love and said, "You know me so well brother." And then a thought popped into his head. He didn't think much of it, thoughts like this popped in his head all the time. Just because he thought something, didn't mean that they would automatically come true... Even though his side of the Imagination was sometimes like that. Every so often, when an intrusive thought popped into his head, it would become true. Fortunately, it was completely random. Unfortunately, luck wasn't shining down on the two brothers today.

"What's that sound?" Roman asked, looking around, it was the sound of something loud, almost like... Roman tensed up. Where was it coming from? The sound swallowed seemed to swallow Roman whole until actual waves came crashing over him.

"Roman!" Remus cursed himself and his stupid thoughts. If it wasn't for his twisted brain they wouldn't be in this mess. He'd probably be making out with his brother while Janus dealt with Patton and the others. Roman probably was a good kisser too. He represented romance, right? He must be a good kisser. Remus himself practically oozed s*xuality and he knew that he was a wild ride in bed. He shook his head. Now was not the time to imagine living out his sexual fantasies. The waves coming from nowhere we're getting bigger now. The Imagination was flooding.

"Roman! Roman don't worry it's gonna be ok!" Remus wrapped his arms around a petrified Roman and did the first thing that came to mind. He transformed into a giant squid, placing Roman on his head and using two of his tentacles to shield him from the waves. Sure, it probably wasn't the most practical, but for right now it was the best he could do. The water was still low enough for him to be able to keep the top of his head above the waves without effort but at the rate the water was rising, that won't be for long.

Roman was shaking. He coughed out salty seawater and clung to Remus's tentacle for dear life. Waves splashed up and hit his legs no matter where he tried to position them. He hated this, he just wanted it to end. The Imagination was flooding and they were all going to die.

A few feet over, Patton and Deceit had transformed. Gone were their Thomas-like figures and their place was a giant snake and frog still arguing and shouting. The snake slithered under the giant spider legs protruding out of the back of a certain purple-haired emo and wrapped around the legs of the frog, causing the amphibian to fall into the ever-rising tide. Neither of them seemed to notice nor care though as they continued to fight and argue.

Logan was nowhere to be seen.

"Deceit that's enough!" Patton screamed as his long sticky tongue wrapped around Deceit's double heads. "I should have never let you have access to the barrier. I should have banished you to the subconscious a long time ago. You AND Remus. You may call yourself Thomas's sense of self-preservation but all you do is hurt Thomas. Where were you when Virgil ducked out huh? Where was Remus when Roman was having massive creative blocks and couldn't come up with anything original? You two were never there for Thomas when he needed you most. And now because of you, Thomas is probably having a mental breakdown."

"Oh, you're one to talk Morality. You /don't/ play the blame game when you /aren't/ asss guilty assss the resssst of ussss. All you do issss sssstomp around Thomass'ss mind like you /don't/ own the place and ssssection off anyone who /fitssss/ your sssstandardssss. And /do/ bring up Virgil ducking out becausssse he only thought he was /beneficial/ becausssse of you. I watched you /rarely/ degrade him and bully him, esssspecially Roman. And why /wassssn't /Roman doing thissss? Oh right! Becaussse of the rigid senssse of right and wrong you /haven't/ hammered into Roman and Logan's brainssss ssssince we were kids. You may pretend you're more accepting than you were but /don't/ look at what you're doing to Remus and me-"

Deceit was cut off by giant spider legs pushing him into the water and pinning him down. "Oh don't act like you're innocent either. You manipulated me, you sent me over to the light side to be a spy! And when I came back sobbing about how much I was being bullied you pretended like you cared and then sent me right back the next day. You never cared for me Deceit. I was nothing to you, just a pawn in your stupid mind games. And now you wanna blame it all on me and act like I was the one who betrayed you by leaving? In an attempt to what, manipulate me into doing your bidding again? I found a place here, with people who love me and accept me for who I am, not manipulate me in an attempt to control my every action. And now you're what, you're doing the same thing to Roman? I've seen you flirt with him, he's dumb enough to fall for anyone who will even look his way. But you wanna know something? As much as I hate him I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy because you made my life a living hell."

Deceit took a deep breath and looked at the two fighting him. He mustered all the strength he had left to tell the truth. "Look, I know that I've made mistakes in the past. I'll admit that I have some blame in this too. I listened to Patton when we were kids and put up the barrier. I was extremely cold towards you especially, Virgil, but all I ever wanted was what I thought was best for Thomas. Now, I know that's not an excuse and I apologize for all of my shortcomings and mistakes. And Virgil, I'm especially sorry for what I put you through. I understand sorry isn't enough to make up for what I've done and that no amount of apologizing is going to take back all of the pain I put you through. But I truly love Roman and Remus. And I've changed Virgil. If you just look a bit closer, you would see that. Do you think we'd even be having this fight if I was still the devious and evil snake that I was when you left? People can change Virgil, and ever since you left it opened my eyes to the terrible person I used to be. Ever since that day, I've been working towards bettering myself so I don't make those same mistakes again. But Patton, you're not entirely innocent either. You preach Thomas's health and mental stability but never act upon it. Thomas is probably having a mental breakdown right now, you acknowledged it yourself but I don't see you going up to help him. No, you sent Logan, the one who's probably the least equipped to help him."

"That's not true! Don't underestimate Logan, he's probably twice as smart as you are. Especially for someone with two heads!"

"But he also is the one who knows the least about emotions. And right now, logic and facts are not what Thomas needs. You act like you're mister perfect and the most important side when you're just as good as everyone else."

Patton looked down, "Wow... I didn't realize my actions left that kind of impression. I'm never wanted anyone to think I thought I was better than them... I just wanted to do what's best for Thomas."

"I know."

The three of them transformed back into their human forms, only have their heads be pulled down below the waves.

"Woah didn't realize the water was so deep..." Deceit muttered before making eye contact with Paton and the two making a sudden realization.

"Roman!" they shouted, swimming towards the giant Remus squid, struggling to keep Roman on his head while keeping his head above water. The creative side was still panicking. He tried to think of something to stop the water but he couldn't think, he could barely breathe. All he could do was imagine the water rushing over his head and filling up his lungs as he tried to scream for help but couldn't. The memories of what happened all those years ago kept flashing through his head over and over and over again.

"Remus, can't you stop this or summon something Roman can float on?" Deceit yelled, swimming up to him.

"No, I can't! Whenever I try to stop thinking about water flooding the imagination or create something that might help it just gets worse!"

Patton's eyes widened as another giant wave crashed over their heads. "What do you mean you can't? Surely if you created this mess, you can imagine your way out?" The thunder that usually plagued Remus' domain was getting louder, the dark clouds starting to swirl into an untameable vortex above them.

Virgil shook his head. "That's not how this works. When Remus has an intrusive thought it'll sometimes manifest in the imagination in a random spot and it will stay there until Remus thinks of something else. There's no other way around it." He glanced at Deceit before turning back to the situation at hand, making the other side smile.

Maybe Virgil didn't forget all about them.

"But what about Roman?" Patton said, looking up at where Roman was currently panicking. "He's been afraid of the water since he was a kid. He couldn't even take baths, only showers."

"We need to get him out of here," Remus said, wrapping a tentacle around him and lifting him higher as the water level rose. "I can't leave until the thought subsides or Thomas calls me and Thomas doesn't even know I exist. You guys have to take him." He slowly lowers Roman down and into the water, where Deceit wrapped an arm around him.

The moment Roman's body touched the water, the flashbacks just got worse. He ran his nails along the side of his arms, scratching and scraping until his skin was red and raw. He could barely breathe, his mouth salty from both the water and tears flowing out of his eyes in a constant stream.

Virgil recognized this immediately. "He's having a panic attack, we need to get him out of here!"

Deceit looked at Roman and tightened his grip on him before looking back at Remus and asking, "Are you going to be ok?"

"Yes now go before you all drown!"

Deceit nodded and just like that, the three of them sunk out of the imagination.

~/0/~

"Roman it's gonna be ok, just listen to the sound of my voice. We're not there anymore, you're safe now. Breathe in for four seconds."

The four sides were sitting in the mind palace living room, Roman still shaking and scratching. Patton had wrapped a towel around him to dry him up. Virgil sat next to Roman, trying to calm him down. At the moment things seemed to be working.

"Hold for seven seconds."

Roman did as Virgil said and held his breath, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth slightly. He was still crying.

"Out for eight seconds. Keep doing that ok? Just follow what I'm doing... Is it alright if I touch you?"

Roman nodded and breathed out as Virgil wrapped his arms around him and rubbed circles into his back. A couch cushion away, Patton held in squeals from too much cuteness. Finally, his two kiddos were getting along and were going to finally confess their love for each other. Deceit rolled his eyes at Patton, even he could see that there was no chemistry between them.

"Breathe in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight." Virgil repeated this under his breath like a mantra, letting Roman cling to him till he calmed down. He closed his eyes, too focused on helping Roman calm down to be uncomfortable with the fact that Roman was touching him. Or the looks that Patton was giving them.

After what seemed like hours, Roman started to calm down. He wiped his tears and looked at Virgil, a small smile present on his face. "Thanks, Virgil. I owe ya one don't I?"

Virgil rolled his eyes "Don't mention it Princy." Roman hugged him before taking a deep breath. He stood up and walked over to Deceit.

"I'm guessing Remus explained everything?" Deceit asked as Roman softly caressed his snake scales and lifted his chin.

"I guess you could say that~" Roman closed his eyes and softly kissed the snake, a blush blossoming on both of their cheeks. Only to be interrupted by a terrifying shriek coming from Patton.

"No! I thought you were in love with Virgil! You two had been pining for years, how do you think Virgil feels?" Patton rushed over to Virgil's side and hugged him. Only to have Virgil push him away.

"Actually Patton, I'm glad that they've found each other. As much as I hate to admit it... Deceit has changed. And they seem happy together. I was never in love with Roman. I was never in love with anybody, and I'm ok with that. You, on the other hand, seem to be the only person that wasn't ok with that."

Before Patton could respond a soaking wet Remus appeared in the living room. He looked around the room. "Well, this is new."

"Remus!! You're alive!" Roman practically launched himself into Remus's arms and spun him around.

Remus giggled "Well, of course, I am Stinker, I was a giant sea creature, I could breathe underwater."

Roman giggled and kissed his brother's soaking lips, "I dunno Re to me you look more like a drowned rat."

Remus smiled and kissed him again, wrapping his arms around his brother, enjoying a moment with his brother in quiet, simple bliss.

Of course, in the light side of Thomas's mind, no one can have nice things. The two brothers who were pulled apart by a disgusted looking Patton.

"Roman I'm surprised at you! Kissing your brother like that... that... that's wrong! It's disgusting! I can't believe you'd do that!"

"No... No Patton you don't understand we..."

"And another thing I thought you were in love with Deceit? Now Deceit I can get used to, but Remus?! Are you out of your mind?"

"I... I do love Deceit, Patton.... I love both of them." Roman reached out and held Deceit's hand, as Remus wrapped his arms protectively around his brother.

"Both? What are you? One of those people who... who kiss a new person every night? I thought you were better than this Roman, I thought you wanted to be a hero. Do you think noble princes are going to go around and kiss their siblings the same way they would kiss their boyfriend? No that's incest! Deceit and Remus living here, I can get used to. You dating Deceit, I can get used to. But I will not tolerate incest in this part of Thomas's mind!"

"No Patton, you're the disgusting one. I love Roman... and Roman loves me. I...It's not like I'm forcing him into us dating or brainwashing him." Remus said, pulling his brother closer.

"I don't care if it's love. I... I want you out." Patton was fuming. "Get out of here and go back to the dark side where you belong! I can't have evil disgusting incestual cretins corrupting Thomas's mind." He narrowed his eyes at them.

"Patton..." Roman's eyes started to water. "I... You told me you loved me... I thought we were a family." he squeezed Deceit's hand tighter, not wanting to burst into tears in front of Patton. Sure, the dad had gotten mad at him before, but he never threatened to kick him out.

Stared at Roman, his brown eyes glowing amber with rage. "Leave." He growled. His voice was so cold and hateful that even Virgil had started to become terrified of Patton.

And that's just what the three of them did. 

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this and I'd love to write a part two or a few spin off stories so if anyone would actually read something like that, please let me know. (I think the remrom shippers have turned me over to the dark side). I hope you liked this and have a nice day!


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